Welcome back to The Red Letter.
Today, I interviewed media law expert Stuart Brotman on The Tara Palmeri Show to talk about censorship, lawfare, FCC rules, and who actually controls public discourse right now.
We covered everything from Stephen Colbert’s battle with the FCC, to the cancel culture swirl around Charlie Kirk’s murder, to Don Lemon’s legal battle and why the government is pushing for more discovery — plus why the Department of Homeland Security is issuing subpoenas to social media companies to identify users connected to anti-ICE protests.
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The moment that really struck me, though, was when Brotman warned that President Donald Trump could effectively control the airwaves if he wins the pending Supreme Court case Trump v. Slaughter. A ruling in Trump’s favor would allow him to fire commissioners at independent regulatory agencies without traditional “for cause” protections — including at the Federal Communications Commission — giving him an even tighter grip on broadcast media, on top of the pressure he’s already applied through crippling lawsuits.
I think you’ll enjoy this episode. And definitely go pick up Brotman’s new book Free Expression Under Fire: Defending Free Speech and Free Press Across the Political Spectrum.
Thank you Scott Bennett, Laura Grossman, Mateo gee, Mark, Maura, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.
